neverendum

neverendum

English

WOTD – 16 December 2013, 16 December 2014

Etymology

Blend of neverending +‎ referendum. Coined by Canadian writer Josh Freed in the context of repeated referendums on the secession of Quebec.[1]

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛv.əˈɹɛn.dəm/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌnɛv.ɚˈɛn.dəm/

Noun

neverendum (plural neverendums or neverenda)

1. A series of referendums on the same issue held in an attempt to achieve an unpopular result.
   • 1998, Pierre Desrochers, Eric Duhaime, “10: A Secessionist's View of Quebec's Options”, in David Gordon, editor, Secession, State, and Liberty, page 239:

     Another "neverendum" (as Canadian nationalists call this process) on Quebec's secession is planned before the year 2000.

   • 1999, David Schneiderman, The Quebec Decision: Perspectives on the Supreme Court Ruling on Secession, page 123:

     And so, the neverendum marches on. This is good news for the Liberals but bad news for Canada.

   • 1999 April 26, J Kirby Inwood, “Municipality creation”, in can.legal, Usenet:

     Well then you get Bouchard to have some neveredums (or neverenda, if you're literate.)

   • 1999 September 9, Dwight Williams, “Plastique and the FALN: Birds of a Feather?”, in rec.arts.comics.dc.universe, Usenet:

     You should see the history lessons on the Quebec referenda(neverenda?)...

   • 2011, Peter Swirski, American Utopia and Social Engineering in Literature, Social Thought, and Political History, Routledge, page 86:

     Some referenda feel like neverenda, political footballs kicked about in empty aisles.

   • 2012, Henry McLeish, Scotland: The Growing Divide: Old Nation, New Ideas, page 116:

     This is the Québécois scenario of the ‘neverendum’, which could be replicated in Scotland: the voters park their ideology and values at the elections to the Holyrood Parliament and elect an SNP or SNP coalition government, but vote differently at Westminster elections.

   • 2014 June 17, Yaniv Loran, “How to get out the youth vote”, in The Gazette, Montreal, Que., page A16:

     I refer, among other things, to the egregious abuses during our neverenda referenda and the federal robocall scandal.

References

1. 1995, Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs, University of Toronto Press, page 139 — Josh Freed, the award-winning humorist of the Montreal Gazette, coined a new word to be added to the Quebec lexicon: the ‘neverendum.’